Part 20

My goode Sone, at thi preiere 630 Of suche ensamples as I finde, So as thei comen nou to mynde Upon this point, of time gon I thenke forto tellen on.

Ovide wrot of manye thinges, Among the whiche in his wrytinges He tolde a tale in Poesie, Which toucheth unto Jelousie, Upon a certein cas of love. Among the goddes alle above 640 It fell at thilke time thus: The god of fyr, which Vulcanus Is hote, and hath a craft forthwith Assigned, forto be the Smith Of Jupiter, and his figure Bothe of visage and of stature Is lothly and malgracious, Bot yit he hath withinne his hous As for the likynge of his lif The faire Venus to his wif. 650 Bot Mars, which of batailles is The god, an yhe hadde unto this: As he which was chivalerous, It fell him to ben amerous, And thoghte it was a gret pite To se so lusti on as sche Be coupled with so lourde a wiht: So that his peine day and nyht He dede, if he hire winne myhte; And sche, which hadde a good insihte 660 Toward so noble a knyhtli lord, In love fell of his acord. Ther lacketh noght bot time and place, That he nys siker of hire grace: Bot whan tuo hertes falle in on, So wys await was nevere non, That at som time thei ne mete; And thus this faire lusti swete With Mars hath ofte compaignie. Bot thilke unkynde Jelousie, 670 Which everemor the herte opposeth, Makth Vulcanus that he supposeth That it is noght wel overal, And to himself he seide, he schal Aspie betre, if that he may; And so it fell upon a day, That he this thing so slyhli ledde, He fond hem bothe tuo abedde Al warm, echon with other naked. And he with craft al redy maked 680 Of stronge chenes hath hem bounde, As he togedre hem hadde founde, And lefte hem bothe ligge so, And gan to clepe and crie tho Unto the goddes al aboute; And thei assembled in a route Come alle at ones forto se. Bot none amendes hadde he, Bot was rebuked hiere and there Of hem that loves frendes were; 690 And seiden that he was to blame, For if ther fell him eny schame, It was thurgh his misgovernance: And thus he loste contienance, This god, and let his cause falle; And thei to skorne him lowhen alle, And losen Mars out of hise bondes. Wherof these erthli housebondes For evere myhte ensample take, If such a chaunce hem overtake: 700 For Vulcanus his wif bewreide, The blame upon himself he leide, Wherof his schame was the more; Which oghte forto ben a lore For every man that liveth hiere, To reulen him in this matiere. Thogh such an happ of love asterte, Yit scholde he noght apointe his herte With Jelousie of that is wroght, Bot feigne, as thogh he wiste it noght: 710 For if he lete it overpasse, The sclaundre schal be wel the lasse, And he the more in ese stonde. For this thou myht wel understonde, That where a man schal nedes lese, The leste harm is forto chese. Bot Jelousie of his untrist Makth that full many an harm arist, Which elles scholde noght arise; And if a man him wolde avise 720 Of that befell to Vulcanus, Him oghte of reson thenke thus, That sithe a god therof was schamed, Wel scholde an erthli man be blamed To take upon him such a vice.

Forthi, my Sone, in thin office Be war that thou be noght jelous, Which ofte time hath schent the hous.

Mi fader, this ensample is hard, Hou such thing to the heveneward 730 Among the goddes myhte falle: For ther is bot o god of alle, Which is the lord of hevene and helle. Bot if it like you to telle Hou suche goddes come aplace, Ye mihten mochel thonk pourchace, For I schal be wel tawht withal.

Mi Sone, it is thus overal With hem that stonden misbelieved, That suche goddes ben believed: 740 In sondri place sondri wise Amonges hem whiche are unwise Ther is betaken of credence; Wherof that I the difference In the manere as it is write Schal do the pleinly forto wite.

Er Crist was bore among ous hiere, Of the believes that tho were In foure formes thus it was. Thei of Caldee as in this cas 750 Hadde a believe be hemselve, Which stod upon the signes tuelve, Forth ek with the Planetes sevene, Whiche as thei sihe upon the hevene. Of sondri constellacion In here ymaginacion With sondri kerf and pourtreture Thei made of goddes the figure.

In thelementz and ek also Thei hadden a believe tho; 760 And al was that unresonable: For thelementz ben servicable To man, and ofte of Accidence, As men mai se thexperience, Thei ben corrupt be sondri weie; So mai no mannes reson seie That thei ben god in eny wise. And ek, if men hem wel avise, The Sonne and Mone eclipse bothe, That be hem lieve or be hem lothe, 770 Thei soffre; and what thing is passible To ben a god is impossible. These elementz ben creatures, So ben these hevenly figures, Wherof mai wel be justefied That thei mai noght be deified: And who that takth awey thonour Which due is to the creatour, And yifth it to the creature, He doth to gret a forsfaiture. 780 Bot of Caldee natheles Upon this feith, thogh it be les, Thei holde affermed the creance; So that of helle the penance, As folk which stant out of believe, They schull receive, as we believe.

Of the Caldeus lo in this wise Stant the believe out of assisse: Bot in Egipte worst of alle The feith is fals, hou so it falle; 790 For thei diverse bestes there Honoure, as thogh thei goddes were: And natheles yit forth withal Thre goddes most in special Thei have, forth with a goddesse, In whom is al here sikernesse. Tho goddes be yit cleped thus, Orus, Typhon and Isirus: Thei were brethren alle thre, And the goddesse in hir degre 800 Here Soster was and Ysis hyhte, Whom Isirus forlai be nyhte And hield hire after as his wif. So it befell that upon strif Typhon hath Isre his brother slain, Which hadde a child to Sone Orayn, And he his fader deth to herte So tok, that it mai noght asterte That he Typhon after ne slowh, Whan he was ripe of age ynowh. 810 Bot yit thegipcienes trowe For al this errour, which thei knowe, That these brethren ben of myht To sette and kepe Egipte upriht, And overthrowe, if that hem like. Bot Ysis, as seith the Cronique, Fro Grece into Egipte cam, And sche thanne upon honde nam To teche hem forto sowe and eere, Which noman knew tofore there. 820 And whan thegipcienes syhe The fieldes fulle afore here yhe, And that the lond began to greine, Which whilom hadde be bareigne,— For therthe bar after the kinde His due charge,—this I finde, That sche of berthe the goddesse Is cleped, so that in destresse The wommen there upon childinge To hire clepe, and here offringe 830 Thei beren, whan that thei ben lyhte. Lo, hou Egipte al out of syhte Fro resoun stant in misbelieve For lacke of lore, as I believe.

Among the Greks, out of the weie As thei that reson putte aweie, Ther was, as the Cronique seith, Of misbelieve an other feith, That thei here goddes and goddesses, As who seith, token al to gesses 840 Of suche as weren full of vice, To whom thei made here sacrifice. The hihe god, so as thei seide, To whom thei most worschipe leide, Saturnus hihte, and king of Crete He hadde be; bot of his sete He was put doun, as he which stod In frenesie, and was so wod, That fro his wif, which Rea hihte, Hise oghne children he to plihte, 850 And eet hem of his comun wone. Bot Jupiter, which was his Sone And of full age, his fader bond And kutte of with his oghne hond Hise genitals, whiche als so faste Into the depe See he caste; Wherof the Greks afferme and seie, Thus whan thei were caste aweie, Cam Venus forth be weie of kinde. And of Saturne also I finde 860 How afterward into an yle This Jupiter him dede exile, Wher that he stod in gret meschief. Lo, which a god thei maden chief! And sithen that such on was he, Which stod most hihe in his degre Among the goddes, thou miht knowe, These othre, that ben more lowe, Ben litel worth, as it is founde.

For Jupiter was the secounde, 870 Which Juno hadde unto his wif; And yit a lechour al his lif He was, and in avouterie He wroghte many a tricherie; And for he was so full of vices, Thei cleped him god of delices: Of whom, if thou wolt more wite, Ovide the Poete hath write. Bot yit here Sterres bothe tuo, Saturne and Jupiter also, 880 Thei have, althogh thei be to blame, Attitled to here oghne name.

Mars was an other in that lawe, The which in Dace was forthdrawe, Of whom the clerk Vegecius Wrot in his bok, and tolde thus, Hou he into Ytaile cam, And such fortune ther he nam That he a Maiden hath oppressed, Which in hire ordre was professed, 890 As sche which was the Prioresse In Vestes temple the goddesse, So was sche wel the mor to blame. Dame Ylia this ladi name Men clepe, and ek sche was also The kinges dowhter that was tho, Which Mynitor be name hihte. So that ayein the lawes ryhte Mars thilke time upon hire that Remus and Romulus begat, 900 Whiche after, whan thei come in Age, Of knihthode and of vassellage Ytaile al hol thei overcome And foundeden the grete Rome; In Armes and of such emprise Thei weren, that in thilke wise Here fader Mars for the mervaile The god was cleped of bataille. Thei were his children bothe tuo, Thurgh hem he tok his name so, 910 Ther was non other cause why: And yit a Sterre upon the Sky He hath unto his name applied, In which that he is signified.

An other god thei hadden eke, To whom for conseil thei beseke, The which was brother to Venus, Appollo men him clepe thus. He was an Hunte upon the helles, Ther was with him no vertu elles, 920 Wherof that enye bokes karpe, Bot only that he couthe harpe; Which whanne he walked over londe, Fulofte time he tok on honde, To gete him with his sustienance, For lacke of other pourveance. And otherwhile of his falshede He feignede him to conne arede Of thing which after scholde falle; Wherof among hise sleyhtes alle 930 He hath the lewed folk deceived, So that the betre he was received. Lo now, thurgh what creacion He hath deificacion, And cleped is the god of wit To suche as be the foles yit.

An other god, to whom thei soghte, Mercurie hihte, and him ne roghte What thing he stal, ne whom he slowh. Of Sorcerie he couthe ynowh, 940 That whanne he wolde himself transforme, Fulofte time he tok the forme Of womman and his oghne lefte; So dede he wel the more thefte. A gret spekere in alle thinges He was also, and of lesinges An Auctour, that men wiste non An other such as he was on. And yit thei maden of this thief A god, which was unto hem lief, 950 And clepede him in tho believes The god of Marchantz and of thieves. Bot yit a sterre upon the hevene He hath of the planetes sevene.

But Vulcanus, of whom I spak, He hadde a courbe upon the bak, And therto he was hepehalt: Of whom thou understonde schalt, He was a schrewe in al his youthe, And he non other vertu couthe 960 Of craft to helpe himselve with, Bot only that he was a Smith With Jupiter, which in his forge Diverse thinges made him forge; So wot I noght for what desir Thei clepen him the god of fyr.

King of Cizile Ypolitus A Sone hadde, and Eolus He hihte, and of his fader grant He hield be weie of covenant 970 The governance of every yle Which was longende unto Cizile, Of hem that fro the lond forein Leie open to the wynd al plein. And fro thilke iles to the londe Fulofte cam the wynd to honde: After the name of him forthi The wyndes cleped Eoli Tho were, and he the god of wynd. Lo nou, hou this believe is blynd! 980

The king of Crete Jupiter, The same which I spak of er, Unto his brother, which Neptune Was hote, it list him to comune Part of his good, so that be Schipe He mad him strong of the lordschipe Of al the See in tho parties; Wher that he wroghte his tyrannyes, And the strange yles al aboute He wan, that every man hath doute 990 Upon his marche forto saile; For he anon hem wolde assaile And robbe what thing that thei ladden, His sauf conduit bot if thei hadden. Wherof the comun vois aros In every lond, that such a los He cawhte, al nere it worth a stre, That he was cleped of the See The god be name, and yit he is With hem that so believe amis. 1000 This Neptune ek was thilke also, Which was the ferste foundour tho Of noble Troie, and he forthi Was wel the more lete by.

The loresman of the Schepherdes, And ek of hem that ben netherdes, Was of Archade and hihte Pan: Of whom hath spoke many a man; For in the wode of Nonarcigne, Enclosed with the tres of Pigne, 1010 And on the Mont of Parasie He hadde of bestes the baillie, And ek benethe in the valleie, Wher thilke rivere, as men seie, Which Ladon hihte, made his cours, He was the chief of governours Of hem that kepten tame bestes, Wherof thei maken yit the festes In the Cite Stinfalides. And forth withal yit natheles 1020 He tawhte men the forthdrawinge Of bestaile, and ek the makinge Of Oxen, and of hors the same, Hou men hem scholde ryde and tame: Of foules ek, so as we finde, Ful many a soubtiel craft of kinde He fond, which noman knew tofore. Men dede him worschipe ek therfore, That he the ferste in thilke lond Was which the melodie fond 1030 Of Riedes, whan thei weren ripe, With double pipes forto pipe; Therof he yaf the ferste lore, Til afterward men couthe more. To every craft for mannes helpe He hadde a redi wit to helpe Thurgh naturel experience: And thus the nyce reverence Of foles, whan that he was ded, The fot hath torned to the hed, 1040 And clepen him god of nature, For so thei maden his figure.

An other god, so as thei fiele, Which Jupiter upon Samele Begat in his avouterie, Whom, forto hide his lecherie, That non therof schal take kepe, In a Montaigne forto kepe, Which Dyon hihte and was in Ynde, He sende, in bokes as I finde: 1050 And he be name Bachus hihte, Which afterward, whan that he mihte, A wastour was, and al his rente In wyn and bordel he despente. Bot yit, al were he wonder badde, Among the Greks a name he hadde; Thei cleped him the god of wyn, And thus a glotoun was dyvyn.

Ther was yit Esculapius A godd in thilke time as thus. 1060 His craft stod upon Surgerie, Bot for the lust of lecherie, That he to Daires dowhter drowh, It felle that Jupiter him slowh: And yit thei made him noght forthi A god, and was no cause why. In Rome he was long time also A god among the Romeins tho; For, as he seide, of his presence Ther was destruid a pestilence, 1070 Whan thei to thyle of Delphos wente, And that Appollo with hem sente This Esculapius his Sone, Among the Romeins forto wone. And there he duelte for a while, Til afterward into that yle, Fro whenne he cam, ayein he torneth, Where al his lyf that he sojorneth Among the Greks, til that he deide. And thei upon him thanne leide 1080 His name, and god of medicine He hatte after that ilke line.

An other god of Hercules Thei made, which was natheles A man, bot that he was so strong, In al this world that brod and long So myhti was noman as he. Merveiles tuelve in his degre, As it was couth in sondri londes, He dede with hise oghne hondes 1090 Ayein geantz and Monstres bothe, The whiche horrible were and lothe, Bot he with strengthe hem overcam: Wherof so gret a pris he nam, That thei him clepe amonges alle The god of strengthe, and to him calle. And yit ther is no reson inne, For he a man was full of sinne, Which proved was upon his ende, For in a rage himself he brende; 1100 And such a cruel mannes dede Acordeth nothing with godhede.

Thei hadde of goddes yit an other, Which Pluto hihte, and was the brother Of Jupiter, and he fro youthe With every word which cam to mouthe, Of eny thing whan he was wroth, He wolde swere his commun oth, Be Lethen and be Flegeton, Be Cochitum and Acheron, 1110 The whiche, after the bokes telle, Ben the chief flodes of the helle: Be Segne and Stige he swor also, That ben the depe Pettes tuo Of helle the most principal. Pluto these othes overal Swor of his commun custummance, Til it befell upon a chance, That he for Jupiteres sake Unto the goddes let do make 1120 A sacrifice, and for that dede On of the pettes for his mede In helle, of which I spak of er, Was granted him; and thus he ther Upon the fortune of this thing The name tok of helle king.

Lo, these goddes and wel mo Among the Greks thei hadden tho, And of goddesses manyon, Whos names thou schalt hiere anon, 1130 And in what wise thei deceiven The foles whiche here feith receiven.

So as Saturne is soverein Of false goddes, as thei sein, So is Sibeles of goddesses The Moder, whom withoute gesses The folk Payene honoure and serve, As thei the whiche hire lawe observe. Bot forto knowen upon this Fro when sche cam and what sche is, 1140 Bethincia the contre hihte, Wher sche cam ferst to mannes sihte; And after was Saturnes wif, Be whom thre children in hire lif Sche bar, and thei were cleped tho Juno, Neptunus and Pluto, The whiche of nyce fantasie The poeple wolde deifie. And for hire children were so, Sibeles thanne was also 1150 Mad a goddesse, and thei hire calle The moder of the goddes alle. So was that name bore forth, And yit the cause is litel worth.

A vois unto Saturne tolde Hou that his oghne Sone him scholde Out of his regne putte aweie; And he be cause of thilke weie, That him was schape such a fate, Sibele his wif began to hate 1160 And ek hire progenie bothe. And thus, whil that thei were wrothe, Be Philerem upon a dai In his avouterie he lai, On whom he Jupiter begat; And thilke child was after that Which wroghte al that was prophecied, As it tofore is specefied: So that whan Jupiter of Crete Was king, a wif unto him mete 1170 The Dowhter of Sibele he tok, And that was Juno, seith the bok. Of his deificacion After the false oppinion, That have I told, so as thei meene; And for this Juno was the queene Of Jupiter and Soster eke, The foles unto hire sieke, And sein that sche is the goddesse Of Regnes bothe and of richesse: 1180 And ek sche, as thei understonde, The water Nimphes hath in honde To leden at hire oghne heste; And whan hir list the Sky tempeste, The reinbowe is hir Messager. Lo, which a misbelieve is hier! That sche goddesse is of the Sky I wot non other cause why.

An other goddesse is Minerve, To whom the Greks obeie and serve: 1190 And sche was nyh the grete lay Of Triton founde, wher sche lay A child forcast, bot what sche was Ther knew noman the sothe cas. Bot in Aufrique sche was leid In the manere as I have seid, And caried fro that ilke place Into an Yle fer in Trace, The which Palene thanne hihte, Wher a Norrice hir kepte and dihte. 1200 And after, for sche was so wys That sche fond ferst in hire avis The cloth makinge of wolle and lyn, Men seiden that sche was divin, And the goddesse of Sapience Thei clepen hire in that credence.

Of the goddesse which Pallas Is cleped sondri speche was. On seith hire fader was Pallant, Which in his time was geant, 1210 A cruel man, a bataillous: An other seith hou in his hous Sche was the cause why he deide. And of this Pallas some ek seide That sche was Martes wif; and so Among the men that weren tho Of misbelieve in the riote The goddesse of batailles hote She was, and yit sche berth the name. Now loke, hou they be forto blame. 1220

Saturnus after his exil Fro Crete cam in gret peril Into the londes of Ytaile, And ther he dede gret mervaile, Wherof his name duelleth yit. For he fond of his oghne wit The ferste craft of plowh tilinge, Of Eringe and of corn sowinge, And how men scholden sette vines And of the grapes make wynes; 1230 Al this he tawhte, and it fell so, His wif, the which cam with him tho, Was cleped Cereres be name, And for sche tawhte also the same, And was his wif that ilke throwe, As it was to the poeple knowe, Thei made of Ceres a goddesse, In whom here tilthe yit thei blesse, And sein that Tricolonius Hire Sone goth amonges ous 1240 And makth the corn good chep or dere, Riht as hire list fro yer to yeere; So that this wif be cause of this Goddesse of Cornes cleped is.

King Jupiter, which his likinge Whilom fulfelde in alle thinge, So priveliche aboute he ladde His lust, that he his wille hadde Of Latona, and on hire that Diane his dowhter he begat 1250 Unknowen of his wif Juno. And afterward sche knew it so, That Latona for drede fledde Into an Ile, wher sche hedde Hire wombe, which of childe aros. Thilke yle cleped was Delos; In which Diana was forthbroght, And kept so that hire lacketh noght. And after, whan sche was of Age, Sche tok non hiede of mariage, 1260 Bot out of mannes compaignie Sche tok hire al to venerie In forest and in wildernesse For ther was al hire besinesse Be daie and ek be nyhtes tyde With arwes brode under the side And bowe in honde, of which sche slowh And tok al that hir liste ynowh Of bestes whiche ben chacable: Wherof the Cronique of this fable 1270 Seith that the gentils most of alle Worschipen hire and to hire calle, And the goddesse of hihe helles, Of grene trees, of freisshe welles, They clepen hire in that believe, Which that no reson mai achieve.